Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible. It belongs to Disney and its creators. If it was in the show, I don't own it. Any songs mentioned are the property of their respective owners and artists. I am not doing this for compensation, simply for enjoyment and practice.
Claimer: Krista Ruthie Stoppable is my OC. If you want to use her, please ask.
After All This Time
Chapter 3
2 Years Later
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Giggles erupted from 2-year-old Krista Ruthie as she chased a butterfly around the small, fenced-in yard of the Moore Home for Children. The other kids were sitting quietly near the edge of the fence, watching her warily. Two children were silently rolling a dingy rubber ball back and forth between them. One of the older girls was picking at the grass. The oldest boy, Trey, was staring through the fence at the buildings beyond.
Krista caught up to the butterfly as it perched delicately on the petals of a flower. She gently reached out, and the butterfly climbed onto her chubby finger. Krista squealed with happiness, making the children by the fence wince.
"KRISTA!" Thomas Moore bellowed as pushed open the back door. "If I have to tell you one more time to keep it down, there will be no dinner!"
Krista's lower lip trembled as she lowered her arms. The butterfly flew away. "I sorry. I be good."
The door slammed shut, and the other kids stared as silent tears rolled down the toddler's face.
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Middleton, Colorado
"I call the racecar!" Kim declared as her father began to set up the Scattegories game board.
"Aw, Kim, why do you always get the racecar?" whined Tim.
"Yeah, no fair!" Jim chimed in.
"Boys, no fighting on Possible Family Game Night!" Anne chided as she brought a tray of snacks and sodas into the living room.
The Possibles (and Ron) gathered around the coffee table. A pleasant hour passed while the family played the trivia game. James picked up a card.
"Ok, Kimmie Cub, next question. True or false? The first three years of a child's life is the most important period of development…" He trailed off, frowning. Everyone glanced warily at Kim. She stared at her hands.
"True," she whispered.
An uncomfortable silence hung over the living room. Ron put his arm around Kim's shoulder.
"Kimmie, why haven't you tried again?" Anne asked gently.
Kim looked up at her mother, pain in her eyes. "I… I can't. I can't go through that again."
"Kim, you know the chances of the same thing happening are very low," her father said.
"I know, but…" She sighed. "I couldn't watch another child grow up when Krista never got that chance. I would think every day 'You never got to meet your sister. Krista never got to do this.' I couldn't handle that."
The room was quiet once more. The Tweebs fidgeted uncomfortably.
Kim abruptly rose from the floor. "I don't feel like playing anymore." Her family watched sorrowfully as she left the room.
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Cheyenne, Wyoming
"Damn it!" Andrea shouted. "You have got to be kidding me! How did they find out?!"
"Someone tipped them off," Thomas sneered. "It doesn't matter how they found out. The point is, they ruined one of the biggest deals we've ever had."
Andrea rubbed her temples. "I am getting so sick of Team Possible meddling in our business."
"They don't know it's our business yet."
"Exactly. Yet. What if they find out? What if they find out about her?"
Thomas's eyes flashed. "I'm not going to let that happen. It can't."
"But it could! It could only be a matter of time before we're ruined!" Andrea slammed the door as she left Thomas's office, unaware that Krista was just rounding the corner. Krista watched her cry out in frustration as she stomped into the kitchen.
The toddler got an idea. Krista went to the small garden in the yard and selected the prettiest flower she could find. She hid it behind her back as she made her way to the kitchen, where she found Andrea sitting at the table with her head in her hands, a flask open in front of her. Krista tugged on her shirt.
Andrea looked down, irritated. "What, Krista? I'm busy."
Krista grinned as she held the flower out to the matron of the Home. Andrea stared at the flower for a moment, a range of emotions passing through her head. But her anger at Team Possible had not subsided, and the sudden presence of their daughter increased her annoyance.
"Krista, where did you get that? Did you steal that from my garden?"
Krista tilted her head. "I picked for you. So you feel better."
"And what made you think destroying my garden would make me feel better?"
Krista's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But… I help…"
"That is not helping." Andrea snatched the flower from the toddler's hands, grabbing the girl by her chin. "Don't you ever touch my garden again, do you understand? It is not yours. Nothing here is yours." Andrea shoved Krista away as she let go of her face and strode out of the room. Krista was left staring after her with tears in her big green eyes, wondering what she did wrong.
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3 Years Later
Cheyenne, Wyoming
A tear rolled down Krista's cheek as she stared out the rain-streaked window. Below, her best friend Chelsea was getting into a car with her new family. The two had been inseparable for the last two years, and now Chelsea was leaving. She was getting a family. Chelsea had been the only one with whom Krista had been able escape the walls she had built around herself. She was the only one who could make her laugh like she used to when she was younger. What would she do now that Chelsea was gone? Who would bring happiness to this gloomy place now?
The 5-year-old felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Valerie, one of the older girls, looking out the window with her.
"Don't worry, Little K. Our chance will come," Valerie said.
Krista couldn't help but wonder. Would it?
Another car pulled up as Chelsea's car drove away. A slim blonde woman exited, walking up to the door. The two children heard the bell ring, and then a squeal as Andrea opened it to reveal their guest.
"LYNN! What are you doing here?!" Andrea exclaimed.
Adrena Lynn entered the front hall, wiping her shoes on the mat. "Got out of prison. Thought I would come visit my favorite sister."
Andrea smiled, a rare sight around the Home. "I'm your only sister, Lynn. But I am so happy to see you! Thomas! Look who's here!" Andrea led her sister to Thomas's office, closing the door behind them so Krista and Valerie could no longer hear the conversation.
"So, you're running an orphanage, huh?" Adrena Lynn commented, taking a seat in one of the plush chairs.
Andrea gave her a strained smile. "Yes."
Adrena furrowed her eyebrows. "You ok?"
"Of course!" Andrea's voice was high pitched, too chipper. "But let's talk about you. I want to know how you've been. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Adrena replied, leaning back in her chair.
"That's it? That's all you're going to give me?"
"What else is there to say?" Adrena shrugged. "I went to prison. I did my time. I'm out. The end."
"But aren't you angry?" Andrea pushed.
"About what?"
"Kim Possible! For putting you in that hellhole!"
"I mean, I was at first. She exposed me as a fraud. But I've had some time away from it all, and maybe it was a good thing. I was a fraud. I was encouraging kids to do dangerous things. Maybe I deserved to get caught."
"NO!" Andrea stood abruptly, causing her sister to jump back. "You were not a fraud! You were talented! She took away your career, your fame! How can you just let that go?"
"Andrea, relax. Yeah, I had some skill, but most of what I did was fake. Just let it go, ok? What's the big deal?"
"The 'big deal' is that she ruined your life. You were on the brink of taking the world by storm. You would have had so much influence, so much power. Don't you want that?"
Adrena stared at her sister. "I mean, yeah, I want to be an influence. But there are other ways to go about it, Andrea."
"So that's it? You're done? You're not even going to try to get back on top and get revenge?"
"This is not what I came here to talk about. I wanted to see my sister that I haven't seen in 7 years. I wanted to see what you've been up to and catch up. Can we just let this go for now, please?"
Andrea sighed. "Fine. But we're not through with this conversation. Come, I'll give you a tour."
Andrea and Thomas led Adrena Lynn through the orphanage. The more she saw, the more concerned she grew. On the surface, it seemed like a regular orphanage. The children were brooding and gloomy, but that was common, right? Still, something felt very, very wrong. And then there was the way Andrea responded when asked if they ran an orphanage. Adrena left with the promise to return soon. She drove a few blocks down the street, pulled into an alley, and took out her cell phone. She dialed, then waited as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Is this Kim Possible?" Adrena asked.
"Actually, it's Kim Stoppable now, but yes. Who's this?"
Adrena hesitated. "It's Adrena Lynn."
"Adrena Lynn?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know it's freaky, but listen, I need to ask you something."
"What?" Kim asked suspiciously.
"I just visited my sister in Wyoming. Her and her husband say they run an orphanage here."
"What do you mean they 'say' they run an orphanage?"
"That's just it. When I commented on it, she acted very strange. Andrea is a horrible liar when it comes to me – she never could do it when we were kids. And when I was walking the building, I just got a bad feeling."
"Orphanages are usually pretty sad places…"
"It went beyond that. I just feel like something is very wrong there."
"So why tell me about it?"
"Look, I know you probably think of me as a criminal, but I've changed. I don't want that life anymore."
The line was quiet for a moment before Kim answered again. "I'll have Wade look into it, but maybe it would be best to have someone on the inside. Wade's a genius, but if your sister and her husband are good at covering their tracks, it might be tough to find something."
"So what do you suggest?"
"She's your sister. It wouldn't be suspicious if you visited her every now and then, would it?"
"I don't think so. We made plans to meet again. We were close as kids, and she was a big supporter of my stunt career. I don't think she'd be suspicious of me coming around."
"Then that's what we'll do. We'll do some research on our end, and you'll gather intel from the inside. Hopefully, you're wrong."
"Yeah, I hope so, too. Thanks Kim." Adrena made plans to contact Kim in a few weeks, then hung up.
I really, really, hope I'm wrong.
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Cheyenne, Wyoming
Andrea sighed as she shut the door behind Adrena Lynn. How could her sister not be angry?
As she made her way to her husband's office, Andrea thought back to her childhood. She had been sickly, and was often teased in school. Adrena was her older sister – popular, athletic, healthy, everything Andrea wasn't. She envied her, yet she adored her. Her sister was her idol. Her sister was the one who comforted Andrea after a rough day at school, who shielded her from the bullies' horrible words and actions. In a way, Andrea lived vicariously through Adrena, savoring the praise she received through her gymnastics and her stunt work on TV. She was obsessed. When Adrena thrived, Andrea thrived. So when Kim Possible exposed her, and the world shunned her sister, her idol, humiliating her and ripping away everything she had worked for, Andrea snapped. Her sister, the one who had protected her from humiliation, was now the one humiliated. Andrea felt every insult, every critical remark as a personal attack. She had vowed to avenge her sister if it was the last thing she did. She dreamed of the day Adrena would get out of prison and join her in exacting their vengeance, their justice.
So when Adrena showed up that day, asking her to put it behind her, Andrea was devastated. The moment she had waited for had been shattered. She could not understand why her sister did not want to retaliate for everything Kim Possible had taken from her, from both of them.
Well, Lynn, if you won't do it, I'll do it for the both of us. It's time to return the favor. For once, I'll be the one defending you.
A/N: A huge thanks to StormChaser90 for workshopping some ideas with me and giving me the idea to have Adrena Lynn go undercover. Check out his stories – they're great.
